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Date Published: 09/01/2023

ARCHIVED - Alicante city on yellow alert for poor air quality

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The 'Cycling with Clean Air' project, promoted by the ConBici platform, has detected high levels of air pollution in Alicante city

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Alicante city on yellow alert for poor air quality

A new environmental study that aims to raise awareness about traffic and atmospheric pollution has detected concerning levels of harmful suspended particles in Alicante and placed the city on 'yellow alert' for air pollution.

As part of the 'Cycling with Clean Air' project, which is being promoted by the ConBici platform, more than 180,000 measurements of air quality in the city were carried out, and less than a third of these tests show a 'green' level of suspended particles.

PM2.5 is the name given to solid particles suspended in the air we breathe with a diameter of less than 2.5 nanometres. This type of pollution, which can include chemical substances and metals, largely comes from motor vehicle exhausts and is reportedly "abundant" in Alicante city.

The project sets out to verify and publicise the correlation between atmospheric pollution, vehicle traffic and air quality with the purpose of raising awareness about the problem and proposing "concrete and useful measures" to solve it.

To achieve the project's goal, the concentrations of PM2.5 were measured in 14 Spanish cities with more than 9 million inhabitants during 2022, an arduous task carried out by volunteers from ConBici's partner organisations. Since January 2021, they have been measuring air quality with portable meters that they carry with them while cycling or walking.

In the case of the Alicante, the platform 'Alacant en bici' has been responsible for carrying out the 187,881 air quality samples at different points - completing more than 79 different routes and nearly 70 hours of measurements.

The study divides air pollution levels into four groups according to the amount of PM2.5: green (0 - 5 μg/m3), yellow (6-15 μg/m3), orange (16-25 μg/m3) and red (>26 μg/m3).

And in Alicante - which represents 4% of the total data collected nationally - 57% of the measurements were in the yellow range, while 28% were green and the remaining 15% were orange or red.

These levels are generally high and - although they are also concentrated in areas of Playa de San Juan - particularly affect the city centre as well as neighbourhoods where there are few pedestrian or green spaces.

In terms of areas with the most polluted air, the study points to Campoamor (particularly the area around Avenida de Alcoy and Avenida de Xixona), the Central Market, the San Blas neighbourhood (Calle del Pintor Gisbert), Ensanche-Diputación (Plaza Galicia, Avenida de Loring) and the axis formed by Plaza de los Luceros and Avenida Federico Soto.

The study has been carried out at a time when, according to the Climate Change Act, municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants must have implemented the so-called Low Emission Zones (which entail traffic restrictions) before January 1 2023.

Despite it being obligatory, none of the province's municipalities that exceed the number of residents, including the capital, have yet complied.

The highest PM2.5 concentrations have been recorded in parts of Alicante city that are within the low emission zone known as the Outer Ring - which is defined by the Gran Vía and the entire waterfront - but very close to the Inner Ring, which includes the Traditional Centre and avenues Alfonso El Sabio, Doctor Gadea and Federico Soto.

For this reason, the project recommends "reviewing these limitations" and, if possible, initiating the first phase of the ZBE plan (low emission zones) "in a more ambitious way", extending the area delimited by the inner ring.

It also advises "deploying meters to monitor air pollution levels and including PM2.5 monitoring", warning that "exposure to particulate matter poses a serious public health risk".

To reverse the situation, the bicycle is being hailed as an "ally" in the "fight to increase the quality of air and safety of cycle-pedestrian infrastructures".

Other news: Dozens of medications no longer available without a prescription in Spain

Image: Archive/Cycle with Clean Air

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